Ascension: A PL&DE Novel (SVTFOE Fan Fic)
by Livvy Mae
Summary: They'd been looking at me sideways ever since I came in. To them, I am a demon, just like all the rest. Everytime I see her familiar eyes as she goes by, all I see now is fear - fear that the angels had implanted in her about my kind, reminding me that I will never be welcome here. Now, I have to know before it's too late; If I had to be honest with myself... is this true love?
1. The Above

The high gates of the entrance had moaned open steadily and the light had rendered me blind. I fluttered my eyes until they had adjusted and as they did, many pairs of widened eyes were facing me. I stuck out like a sore thumb.

The scenery was almost exactly how I expected it to be. The fog of the clouds covered the grassy ground. The sun brought down rays of its light everywhere. It was a change from living underground in complete darkness. Ancient Greek-like structures and buildings has taken up every crevice, it looked like. The small Greek structures were homes of the middle class angels, I had to guess, considering they made up more than half of the Above's land. It was like a kingdom with its astounding village.

Children giggled in the distance. The air was still and everything had seemed peaceful. By the increasing dead silence of the children and hushed voices as they all looked my way, I had utterly disturbed that moment of happiness. I saw some mother angels hustle their toddlers into their homes as if I meant trouble, while all they could do was protect them.

The hardest moment was taking that first step towards the village, though I didn't know where I was going exactly. The angel folk would step out of my way on the dirt streets, keeping their eyes on me like they might blink and would get burned at the stake by me for doing so. They looked petrified.

"Why are they all looking at me like that?" I mumbled the question to Star, who I was still carrying in my arms.

"Just ignore them. To them, this is the most interesting thing to ever happen here." She whispered back.

From there, Star had directed me towards the stone castle ahead. It seemed like an endless street of the same styled houses and sidewalks until we had reached the castle that stood mightily on the hill that laid on heavy, cumulus clouds. When we had reached the open entrance of the castle, I had put Star down and we stepped inside together. Almost immediately, I was sure I was going to be ambushed from the moment I entered the castle. It was one of the moments where I didn't feel comfortable in my own demonic markings and wings, which I instinctively folded tighter behind me as if to hide them behind my back.

Everything was beautiful and classy. The inside of the castle shone brightly with radiance. Everything was all color, even symmetrical paintings on the floor and gold for the columns and ceiling. There were ring chandeliers that hung down from the golden ceiling, holding lit candles. The bright sunlight came down and through the wide windows and reflected off of the clean marble floors I stood on. If I stared closely enough, I could make out my own reflection.

Just as I had feared, someone had heard us coming and made their presence known. It was an angel, of course. His wings were a bit different from the traditional white feathered wings of the angels of the village. They were a bit bigger with more of a swirling pattern in the center of them. They reminded me of wings of a big bird, almost like a falcon's.

He had noticed Star first, probably because she was infront of me as I used her open wings as a way to somehow hide myself. His face lit up, surprised and relieved at seeing Star, recognizing her right away. As the young man had approached closer, I couldn't hide myself any longer and he had spotted me, his face dropping down to a frown, a cold and unwelcoming frown. I could tell he was judging me, almost like I was a criminal with a long history of horrible crimes. Truthfully, I knew I hadn't done anything wrong and to him, I didn't need to give him a reason to hate me. I couldn't help it if his mind was naturally judgemental and bias.

From there, it only escalated. Star begged for them not to throw me out and send me back to the Underworld, but all her attempts were in vain. The decision for the angels was final and they had us each forcefully dragged away to different destinations. They took Star and I, but as soon as we reached a hallway in the castle, Star was ushered to another hallway to the right meanwhile I kept going down the same long hall. I struggled, trying to break free from the guard-angels.

Even as Star was dragged away, I could still hear her very clear and loud pleas echo behind her. "Please," She said over and over. " _Please,_ don't hurt him!"

"Star, I'm fine." I would reassure her, though I didn't know for how much longer I _would_ be. "It's gonna be okay."

Besides, this is what we wanted, right? We were here because we were desperate for help and one way or the other, we were going to get it. Star would be saved from her dark transformation.

This is what we wanted… right?


	2. Hypnosis

…

The sound of his fingernails tapping on the armrest of his throne went on throughout the silent and still throne room. I didn't know what to expect from him. He looked as if he was thinking hard and long about something, probably about which reaction would be appropriate for the situation. With his other arm, he supported his weary head.

At last, he lifted his head and a heavy, yet slow, sigh was released from his chest. Then, he said, "You let her get _away?"_ His voice had started off collective and relaxed, but the more he went on, I knew he was trying to restrain himself from raising his voice.

I had stood there infront of him, keeping myself at a safe distance away. This was the calm before the actual storm that my dad had bottled up. It was coming. I could feel it.

The question itself was rhetorical. Nonetheless, I still answered him. "No." I mumbled.

"How could you let this happen? I thought you were watching her." He proceeded to exclaim. Those words were always the lines in a movie where the prisoner escapes from their captives.

Star was no prisoner. She was never meant to be either.

"I wasn't gonna just stop her. She doesn't _have_ to stay if she doesn't want to."

To this, my dad rose from his throne and stood upon me with threatening height. " _That_ is not a choice for you to have, son!" Now, his voice was booming. I had gotten him angry now. This was the storm he had finally screwed open from the bottle.

Still, I kept protesting. "Oh, yeah? Why not?" I shouted back.

"You are the _Prince_ of the Underworld, heir to my throne! I will not have you marry to anyone other than the Princess! Dead or not, she must still marry and so do you! It's what I want and what your mother would've wanted too!"

"Did you ever ask mom what she wanted?" I said without thinking. The question had ceased my dad in his own tracks. He was about to turn away and leave if I hadn't asked him. Now, he froze, slowly bringing back eye contact with me. And it wasn't a friendly one. Instead, his eyes were hard and cold. _"Say that again. I dare you.",_ They said.

"Well… have you, dad?" I exclaimed, taking the dare to push further. "Have you _ever_ asked me what _I_ wanted? I mean, yes, I do wish she… I don't know." I shrugged and dropped my stare to the dirt ground. "It's not right."

A loud, exaggerated and sarcastic laugh escaped my dad's throat before he answered. "It's not _right?"_ He approached me closer and leaned in before claiming, "You are a _demon!_ You take what you want, whether it is right or wrong! Listen to your inner demon, son. Don't let your true feelings be clouded by "what's right". You really care for this girl, I know it. That is why I am sending you to the Above. You will go to her-"

"Wait, no. Dad… I can't." I declined, though, that didn't stop him from his demands. He took me by the shoulders as he kept going on.

"And mark my words, if you return unsuccessful, consider yourself no longer a prince." His voice had become low, both in tone and volume.

"What?"

"And if you shall step foot in the Underworld ever again, I will be rid of you in the deepest pits of this Hell you've ever seen. You hear me?" He spoke darkly. Before I could think of my next protest, my dad's eyes had stared at me hard, fixated on mine.

The next moment, his mouth was an angered sneer and his eyes transcended from a beetroot color, like mine, to a mystical dark red. I knew what he was doing. He was trying to control me, manipulate my mind. This was one of many of his demonic abilities, and as King of the Underworld, his powers were limitless, overpowering than any other demon's. Not even my own abilities could match his.

I shielded my eyes, shutting them tight as I had to turn away before I could let his hard eyes latch onto my own and let his telepathic stare infect me and sink into my mind. It wasn't until the second I had hit the wall behind me that I had realized my dad had backed me up, forcing me to meet his gaze.

"Dad, stop." I pleaded.

" _Look_ at me." His voice was deep and demanding, controlling. I had gave in and stared for a millisecond too long into his fiery eyes until I couldn't look away. I was in a trance now, giving my dad what he had wanted. My mind had become instantly blank and all that mattered to me was to entertain myself by the way the flames in his eyes danced and flickered.

As his lips began moving, my mind had listened to his words with hard intensity. "Let your true demon roots be your guide. An angel's philosophies mean absolutely nothing to you. Let your dark and urging feelings taint and consume you. Be the demon you were born to be - selfish, immoral, dangerous. Go. Reclaim your bride."

As he said these words, he had summoned a spell, a sphere of light, emitting from the palm of his hand. As it was finally done charging up, he had taken it, ejecting it, implanting it, into the pit of my chest. When he did, I inhaled heavily, feeling the light, as if it was a hefty brick. My heart felt as if it had restarted, jolted into a different heartbeat and my lungs got the air knocked out of them as I stood there, gasping for oxygen for a few moments.

My legs gave out on me and I dropped to the ground, heaving in and out as I took on a whole new transformation. My horns broke off until nothing was left but the ashes of them on the ground. I began to feel something new. From behind me, a fuzzy and tingling sensation had escalated to a stinging and then a jolt of something growing outwards - wings. A light took upon the above of my head and as I had reached up to touch it, I realized I now had a floating ring, a halo.


	3. Interrogation

…

I kept anxiously fidgeting my leg under the table. They had cuffed my wrists to the table, probably thinking I needed to be contained. Not only that, they had held me down, pressing my face down on the table and began doing the same to my wings too. They tied them together so I couldn't even feel them. My wings had went numb after a while.

They had dragged me so far down the hall, the light of the Above doesn't shine as bright as it used to. Just like that, I knew even the Above had deep, dark places for people who are extra special. The angels had forced me to that special place, just for me. At least the Devil had politely gestured you to the pit of fire below before he pushed you in.

That was when it came to me that the angels weren't any different from the demons. It was a bit funny, actually. The Above had the same hospitality as the Underworld.

As I waited impatiently for someone to come through the door, I stared down at the table in a daydream. I wondered what they had done to Star. I wondered where they had taken her. I fantasized that, judging by the light of the hall they had dragged her down, it had to be at least _somewhere_ hopeful. Maybe she was getting the help I had hoped she would get, bringing her back to the light where she belonged and bringing the white back to her wings. I then imagined her with a brand new halo and wondered if she would be given a new one or would repossess her old one as it faded back into view above her golden blonde head.

But, what if it wasn't true? What if I was filling my mind with ignorant conspiracies? The other, darker side of the possibilities, I didn't want to even delve further into.

I decided to distract myself with the only source of light that was welcomed into the room by a small square-shaped opening from the door, a window, with prison bars. The natural light illuminated from that tiny window and hit the floor of the inside of the room, giving it's own silhouette. I stared at it, watching it as if I was afraid that it would leave. Suddenly, it did when the heavy door of the interrogation-like room had swung open, bringing a whole new amount of light inside. A fairly tall man had come through, breaking the silence and darkness. He carried a tinted blue pair of wings behind him, full of feathers, along with the same design of wings as the last angel I had seen. His wings, however, seemed to be a bit wider in size. He wasn't very young, yet didn't appear to be very worn or old either. Nonetheless, he still had a medium-lengthed, grey beard and still had a full head of hair, yet was the same shade of grey as his beard.

I jolted up immediately, unable to sit still for another second. "Where is she?"

When he answered, his voice was low volume and gravelly. "That is none of your business." He sounded unfriendly and I could tell his patience for me had already run out. Aside from what I had previously thought everyone had dressed like in the Above, he was wearing a white button up shirt with long, black, slick pants and matching shoes. "Did you think you could just wander your way up here?" He said as he took a seat down across from me at the cold, metallic table.

I raised an eyebrow. He was awfully quick to enter and already have an impression of me. "Sorry," I said. My voice was mumbled, but I was confident when I spoke. My tone held sarcasm. "The wind current was so strong, it must've blown me in."

"The wind current may be just a wind current, yet, it does not make the accident of bringing a demon to the Above." He answered as if he was ready, preparing for this conversation all his life. "What is your name, kid?"

"That is none of your business." I mocked, a tiny smirk taking on my face as I enjoyed my pride and humor.

"Quit your minicking. This is a serious matter. The angels already know we have a demon on our hands. They're afraid, y'know. Tell me, what are you doing here?" He leaned forward and folded his hands together on the table. Now, I really _did_ feel like I was in an interrogation.

"I came to bring her back. She doesn't deserve the Underworld."

To this, he let out a lengthy and unnecessarily exaggerated laugh, uneasing me, making me rethink my confidence. "So the demon thought he could play angel for a day? Listen, kid. You mustn't mess with the balance of the angels and demons. If an angel sins, they are not welcome back to the Above. They earn their way to the Underworld, just like angels earn their way to the Above. You cannot cheat your way back into the Above from a hateful sin. It's time you understand people and where they belong."

"Please… uh, sir. Look, Star is a good person. She doesn't deserve to be-"

"Look, kid," He sighed. "I know she is. But still, that will not change how she had turned her back on the Above's laws. There is no redemption." He had interrupted me once again, this time, with a stern and forceful glare.

 _"Please,"_ I sighed heavily, trying to calm myself before I lost my temper. It was as if angels weren't the cooperating type. I must have broken something inside of him by the desperate way I was looking that his eyebrows raised. "She was never meant to be like a demon. She's an angel. You can't hold her accountable for one little thing. I mean, it's not my fault she-" I stopped myself. Did I really want to say it? What would he think anyway if I told him?

"What did she do?" There it was. The curiosity was kicking in. He is going to find out eventually.

I inhaled. Then, exhaled the words. "She… kissed me."


	4. A Court Trial

After that, they had then brought me to a different room. Though, I knew they weren't done with me. I could tell they still had more questions than answers.

At least the cell they had reserved just for me was more sanitary looking than the Underworld's. Not only that, there was at least some light coming through from the outside.

The cell consisted of three solid walls of brick and the cell's prison bars of its entryway from which I had come through. Even as the taunting prison gate slid closed roughly behind me, I knew I didn't belong. I tried to get them to listen, tried to tell them I don't need a prison. Afterall, what harm could I do, really?

Still, it didn't matter. Why would they change their ways for a demon? They wouldn't. Never. Besides, a demon was a demon. That's how it worked. Still, I fought against it. I had asked why I needed to be put under such a constriction since I hadn't even laid a finger on anyone. If I had meant any harm at all, I would have done it and this, I told the angel who had questioned me earlier. He said he couldn't just let a demon walk the Above's ground and be free. He said the angels were all in a panic since my appearance and I would only make it worse.

I begged and pleaded for them to not throw me back to the Underworld, which I had overheard the plan amongst two young, gossiping angels that night.

It had taken a whole day until I finally convinced them. He had beckoned me awake the next morning, that same angel official, along with a group of curious reporters who seemed to be more than amazed to see a demon in the Above. They scribbled busily on their notepads and flashed their cameras all on me. The angel official backed them off just a bit and came to inform me of a certain arrangement, a court trial to prove myself worthy of the Above. Before I could think on it, he had told me that I had a visitor who has been meaning to talk to me for a while and had let Star through the prison gates.

To see her face, my heart fluttered as did my stomach. The excitement made me reach out and wrap my arms around her as she did the same. We must have stayed that way for a whole minute as the angel reporters snapped their cameras quickly, brief clicks and flashes, all on me and Star.

Something had struck me with guilt and my heart plummeted, shattered, at the thought of it. As I held her in my arms, holding her close, I wondered why I deserved this. Why did I deserve to hug and hold and even touch the one of which I had lost. It didn't feel right. In fact, it felt quite the opposite. It was wrong. I shouldn't even deserve to see her now. Maybe I was doomed for the Underworld. I killed her. Now, I came back to hurt her more. It showed as I had watched her dark angel wings shed its feathers too. I didn't deserve her and I pulled away from her and judging by the way she hadn't let go until that last remaining second, I could tell she didn't want it to end. She wanted me, though I couldn't understand it.

Her pleading, sorrow-filled eyes tried to meet mine, trying to read me, but I averted my eyes before I could let her do so. I knew what she was thinking afterall. She wanted to ask if I was okay, but she knew something was obviously wrong. I was idiotic for trying to hide it too, knowing I couldn't do that around her. "Are you-?"

"I'm fine." I mumbled. "I promise." She must have known I was bluffing. Her hand brushed mine before grabbing it and pulsing it in her own, a soft squeeze.

I noticed someone had followed Star, a woman with a pair of violet butterflies on her face, a Butterfly family symbol. Not only that, she had the angel wings of the angel officials. Star said that this was her grandmother, Comet Butterfly. She was the one who took Star in and had taken care of her.

Star had introduced me to her right away. I had given her a fanged smile in return, though Comet looked a bit pale, a sickening pale. Before I could wonder what was troubling her, she excused herself from her loss of speech. "I apologize, darling." When she spoke, her voice held a noticeably thick British-like accent, like Star's mother. "As flustering as it is, it is nice to meet you, Marco."

Suddenly, someone had pried away at the crowd, pushing away the photographers and reporters, demanding them to leave. "That's it. Everyone, out." When the crowd had finally been stripped away and had gone separate ways, an angel boy had stepped forward. He was about my height and had wings like any other official angel, though his were smaller, more proportionate to his body.

When he smiled to chortle, his teeth, a pearl white, matched the same purified white as his wings. His dirty blonde hair fell partly in his nicely tanned face and as if his hair had become an annoyance to him, he stroked if back up. His hairstyle consisted of shaved sides and kept it full on top. He wore what the other angel officials would wear, a plain white, button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up and black dress pants and shoes. His halo also shined like all the rest. "Have her sent back to her room. I've seen enough." He commanded.

For a fraction of a second, his beetroot eyes met mine and I felt my stomach flip and flop. It was a strange and unsettling feeling, one that I've never felt before. I couldn't exactly put my finger on it. It was as if I wanted to throw up everything in my stomach at once, yet if I tried, it wouldn't come. It was as if I was floating, though I was still on the ground.

And somehow, my brain had told me something was off. This angel was no angel at all. My gut had told me otherwise. He was like me, a demon, hiding in plain sight. The only time it had subsided was when he had left the prison hallway and as I turned to tell Star, I had found her already gone, following Comet back up the stairs from where they came.

The drawn sound of the rattling and rusty prison bars came to a close and locked with a click. All the angels had left after that, leaving me with myself and the empty, small prison. No one else was here, I began to notice, no other prisoners. Just me, myself, and I. The only sound was of the humming of the fluorescent light across the hall that leads to the staircase.

I took a seat down in the bunk bed in the corner of my cell and was a bit grateful for the peace and quiet. I laid back and relaxed and soon got lost in my thoughts.


	5. Comet

It must have only been a few days, though I felt as if the angels were shunning me. I still received my meals, but I ate alone in my cell, in solitude and silence. Still, I couldn't help but think, it could've been better. To be more ironic, this was the Above. The Above was supposed to be a place of joy, peace, and prosperity. It was supposed to be a utopia. But I guess the treatment is different when you were never meant for a utopia.

It's different when you are unrightfully sentenced for a darker place, where your screams are just one of many under the surface of the ground under someone's feet. It's different when you are doomed for the Underworld. I wasn't like the rest of them, the rest of those chaotic demons who deserved their fates. Though, I have killed once, it would've made me a criminal at the most, but nothing more.

But then again, maybe that was just enough to make me a demon. The more I thought and pondered and wondered, the more I needed a second opinion. The more I let my mind drag me down without anyone to talk to in this excruciating solitude, the more I needed to ask someone, someone who really knew me.

"Do you think I'm really a demon? Did I really deserve the Underworld?"

I needed Star. I needed her here to remind me. Even then, I wouldn't really believe her. Even if I asked for the truth, she would still tell me I was good, deep down. But, if she was really honest, would she tell me something otherwise?

Maybe what I truly needed was a scientific test or experiment to determine the clarity in my heart from the amount of dark, demonic blood in my veins.

Just as I had kept thinking to myself, a door had whined open in the prison hallway and dragging footsteps came from the staircase. It was Comet. She had come to inform me of the court trial, saying that the angel court had taken the trial and was accepting the case. Not only that, she had volunteered to be my lawyer, considering that, back when she was living her days on Mewni, she was a member of the court as well as the Queen. She also said that no one else wanted to testify for me anyway.

"But why? I mean, you don't even know me." I said.

"Well, yes, but neither do they, honey. Yet, they'd like to believe they do. That is why I chose to take the case. I trust that you say who you are and I know that my granddaughter loves you for the purity in your heart." While she talked, she talked with a very soft and motherly talk. She was gentle and caring, her voice reflected it. She smiled, a true smile that meant her sincerity, her truthfulness. "Now, let me see those hands."

Comet held out her hands, gesturing to my own. I raised my hands to her for her to inspect and she took them through the prison's bars, inspecting them for herself. She stroked the palms of my hands and then did the same to the tips of my blackened, sharpened fingernails. A giggle escaped her throat and she grinned once again. "You may have the appearance of a demon, but you've got the sure mannerisms of an angel, dear. Your touch is tender and kind. You mean no intentions of harm."

To this, I felt half my face lift up in a smile, a smirk. I dropped my eyes and my stare fell to the floor. Comet must have caught me daydreaming for a few seconds because she tilted her head slightly to try to meet my eyes again. "Marco, what troubles you?" She murmured.

I shook my head slowly. "It's… nothing. I just - how's Star?"

She giggled her heavy-hearted giggle and nodded. "So, this is about Star?" She let herself chuckle once more before continuing. "She is doing fine. She worries herself about you, too. That was an incredibly brave act you made to bring her back, you know that?" After a moment of silence with me drifting into another daydream, she kept on. "I know I should save this for the court hearing, yet I can't help myself but to ask. Why did you bring her back?"

"I-I don't know. She doesn't deserve it." I mumbled.

"Deserve what, dear?"

"The torture… the Underworld… the sin."

When I lifted my head to watch her facial expression, I saw her focus was firm and she nodded in understanding. "What about you? What keeps you here? Why do you stay?"

I opened my mouth to respond, but couldn't seem to quite find a definite answer so I shut it. I sighed. "It's complicated."

"Not as much as you would think. If I'm correct, Star is your reason. You stay to be with her. If it wasn't for her, you would not be here, sweetie. You would not even be fighting for your justice if it were not. Remember, Marco, I believe you are on the right side of this fight."

"Thanks. I, uh, really mean it." I chortled.

"I have to be on my way now, but I will let Star know that you are alright?" She said it as if it were a question, but still, I nodded a "yeah" and she gave a final nod and smile back before heading back to the staircase. The light tipping and tapping of her heels echoed in the prison's empty corridor before I knew she was gone as the door creaked open and then closed with a whump.

Silenced prevailed itself to the still prison corridor again and I slouched down and sat myself down against the bars of my prison cell.


	6. Breakout

I would get more than bored and lonely in that cell. The only thing I ever did was look in the mirror hanging next to the end of my metal framed bed and worn mattress and stare at my own reflection for a while. I would take in my appearance and think. I would part my hair to the right, wondering if Star would've liked it that way or if she preferred it parted left. I just couldn't help but wonder it. It was weird.

Though, there was one thing that I couldn't deny. She was always fond of my demon eyes. And I could see why as well. They were a vivid green, almost always twinkling like fireflies. Ever since she had told me that night in the cellar, I never strangely forgot.

My dark horns and jagged fangs were menacing, though even I could see why Star liked my eyes.

Comet had come in too at that same moment, carrying multiple things in her full arms. She had brought my dinner as well as a new blanket since I had told her of my already-tearing blanket that I could hardly ignore anymore. She had even snuck me a bouncy ball and slinky for when times were slow and unbearably boring. She knew it was not respectively allowed to spoil me so much, but she secretly felt sympathy for me. I was only a kid anyway. This, she knew.

After I had eaten, I tucked into my new sheets, yet only seemed to shut my eyes for, what felt like a few minutes, before a loud clatter from outside my cell had made me jump upright and snapping my eyes back open. The racket was followed by a grumble of frustration, almost sounding like someone had tripped over a bucket and other possible cleaning supplies.

"Ugh, pegasus feathers!" A voice had muttered, almost as if the unusual remark was the presence of a swear.

I rose from my bed, instinctively recognizing the harp-like voice. I couldn't resist a chortle and a single eye roll. I knew Star when I heard her coming, even if she wasn't the best at being exactly as stealthy as a cat.

"Star!"

Instantly, I was hushed. She came into view on the other side of the prison bars with her finger to her mouth. "I'm not supposed to be here." She went on in a whisper. She turned her head in both directions as if to make sure she hadn't been found out.

The first thing I had noticed about her was her wardrobe change. She was wearing a bright pink sleeveless crop top with a white collar at the neck and a white high waisted, short pettiskirt. She even wore light pink, winged high tops to match the rest of her.

Then I noticed her wings. They had been revived and were just as white as they were the first night I had met her. Even her halo was back, bright and as shining as ever.

This, I had pointed out to her.

Star went on to saying how her Grandma Comet had convinced the angel officials to not lock Star up yet they had insisted that if she was to stay, she needed, what Star called, "angel rehab".

Although they couldn't fix her blackened wings entirely and give her back her halo, they had given her a mock halo as well as dyed her wings white. Of course, until she had been proven innocent or guilty in court, she would keep her privileged wings and halo, except they would become real instead of dyed and mocked.

She then continued to apologize for not being able to visit me, saying that the angels have really been keeping a close eye on her, so much so that she was restricted from even seeing me.

"I tried to warn you, Marco. The angels here are incredibly strict. It's impossible to even breathe here. I just wish I could see you more, y'know?" She sighed as she looked as if in a daydream and held the cell bars for a moment. She stared down at the big squared lock to her right. "What if…" She began. I looked up at her.

"What if we could go out. Go see the sights? Hm? What d'ya say?" Now, she was giving me a half smile and a raised eyebrow as if she came up with the most devilish idea.

"What?" I exclaimed in a appalled whisper. "Star, I can't. I have to stay in here."

"Oh, come ooon!" Star sang, doing a rocking motion from her heels and then to her toes, back and forth. "Nobody will notice. You just gotta be really quiet."

"But - that's crazy! We'll get in trouble!" I said. I could already feel the overwhelming anxiety creep its way up my throat so I swallowed it back down. Although, with the anxiety, brought temptation. Sneaking out would get me in much more shaky waves than I was already in, yet I needed to. Something nagged at me, almost as if my little demon on my left shoulder had silenced the holy sprite-like fairy on my right.

Even still, I attempted to shake my head forcefully as if to shake him off.

Star exhaled air through her lips. "Pffft, oh, Marco, Marco, Marco. The only way we can get in trouble, is if we get caught." She crossed her arms as if to express her point. "I mean, besides," She shrugged. "It'll only be for tonight. You'll be back in your dark and cozy and depressing cell before you know it."

"I don't know, Star. You don't even have the-"

Before I could even finish, Star had went to reach for something on the wall to her right, a hook, and as she held it up like a trophy, they jingled and danced in her hand. Keys.

We left through the spiral staircase and to the main hall. I tried my best to stay as quiet as possible while going up those spiral stairs, even leaping from step to step while my wings lightly gilded me.

We entered to a long endless hallway, a corridor that transcended from a dull, worn grey, like my cell, to a beautiful and flawless white and striped with shining gold. It continued like that until we had reached the end of the hall, to the main hall.

Every second, I felt a strange gut feeling like someone had been following us and when I would turn around every few seconds, I would find no one to be there at all. I was on edge, though Star looked as if she had done this before and had learned to master it, probably because she had.

While we stopped in the main hall, I was finally able to take in the incredible appearance of the building's decor. The room itself was enough to fit twenty elephants at once, I estimated, and everything seemed to be decorated in gold and white. I was momentarily stunned by the crystal chandeliers that hung over my head, that each seemed to be the size of a car.

I felt a hand grab my wrist and yank me forward. "C'mon!" Star's voice followed.

With that, we went down another two corridors before a single door at the end. By the time we had stopped there, I began to question if she knew what she was doing.

"Where are we going?" I whispered to her.

"You'll see." She said before carefully and slowly cracking open one of the glass double doors to the outside.

Once we were out, Star sighed. "Here we are." As we moved on forward, I realized how much the beauty of the night couldn't compare to the Underworld.

I didn't even realize I was holding my breath. We were standing above the clouds which had led to the perfect view of the clear night sky of space.

Then there was the garden. It took a stone fence and an arched, French-like iron gate to get to. A stone pathway led to its beauty. There must have been hundreds of different types of the most vibrant and unique flowers I've ever seen. There were blushing marigolds, blue hydrangeas, yawning tiger lilies, trumpeting daffodils, and even pure white roses. And they were all centered around a prestigious and tall fountain.

I was so in awe, that Star had chuckled. "I knew you'd like it." She said. "I sometimes come here just to get away from everything."

From there, we crossed the streaming river and arched stone bridge that soon broke away from the garden and became a much bigger and wider field. I could even make out a gazebo in the distance.

From there, Star had led me to a dock down the hill, past a group of giant weeping willows and to the lake.

"Now, where are we going?" I said, as Star chortled.

"What? You don't wanna go on a canoe ride?"


	7. Heart VS Head

From where we were, the garden was nothing more but a spec, though we still weren't that far from the dock. The night was quiet, peaceful. All I could hear was the trickle and small waves that rocked the canoe. Star and I each were rowing, both our oars rowing on different sides of the canoe, though I felt like we weren't really moving, just drifting.

I finally stopped to realize we were just going around in a circle. "You think we're doing this right?" I asked her, studying the way the small wooden canoe would spin around in the lake.

"What makes you say that?" Star answered my question with another question.

"Star, we're going in circles." I finally said. To this, she stopped her own rowing of her own oar.

"Yeah," she chortled. "I should've mentioned this earlier but I really don't know how to row a boat."

Her remark made us both laugh and for a while, we remained drifting while stargazing, not worrying about where the lake's subtle current took us. It grew so silent and still, that I actually became lost in thought, thinking about nothing yet everything at the same time.

I had hardly noticed when Star had scooted just a bit closer to make herself comfortable and laying her gentle head on my shoulder. Next came her hand, intertwining itself with my own hand until our fingers were laced together. I could actually feel the fever reach my face and I dropped my head with a smirk.

I felt my stomach twist and churn, almost a mix of nervousness and joy. It was almost like that same feeling I had when I had first saw her in the Underworld. A wave of heat had come over me and my nerves became shook. My heart roared and sang and thumped inside me, each heartbeat rising something up. I couldn't tell if it was going to be a full-hearted howl or the peanut butter and jelly sandwich I had earlier.

"I missed you." She then mumbled.

"I-I missed you too." I found my own voice come out in a whisper.

The silence between us stretched on once more for a few minutes. Then Star sprung up, almost like something had caught her attention. "Did you see that?"

"See what?" I asked, following the direction of where she was looking, ahead of us.

A few seconds passed by and she spoke again, this time, gasping and pointing. "Right there! See?"

The canoe began to rock back and forth from her sudden movements. She was leaning on the side of the canoe now, tipping it slightly to the left. "Look, it's blinking!" She said excitedly.

"Starrr," I cautioned, gripping onto the canoe's right side, hoping to even out the weight. "The boat! It's gonna tip!"

She must have been focusing hard to catch what she had missed and was now pointing to her right. "It's over there now! Look!"

A subtle and quick flash of a firefly had went off in the distance, just barely above the water. I had seen it where her finger was pointing. Just then, she had leaned forward more and the boat began leaning more towards the left, unable for me to stop.

Just as I had predicted, we both tipped to the left, falling headfirst into the lake, the canoe tipping completely over. I was drenched immediately and flailed my arms in a frenzied panic. I started clawing at the water and trying to swim upwards.

When I found my head above water, I clutched onto the boat as a flotation device, afraid I might drown.

"See? What did I-" I scanned the water, though it was strangely and unsettlingly quiet. "Star?"

I called out her name but my only answer was the swishing and swaying of the water. Thinking the worst had happened, I inhaled deeply, held it, and dove. I only made it a few feet down before fearing my own worst-happening and scrambled back up, to the safety of the upside down canoe. Then I went again. Twice. Three times with no use as I had to spit up water from my last attempt.

I was frantically trying to think of what to do next, contemplating as I held onto the canoe for support. That's when a splash of commotion from behind and a pair of arms reached up and wrapped themselves around me from behind. "Boo!" She let out a startling exclamation as I yelped out too. My first instinct was to try to shake her off and as soon as she did let go, I was able to turn around and see her face.

She was smiling a giant, beaming smile, though I wasn't. "What the hell were you thinking? You scared me to death!"

Now her smile was completely wiped away. "What? Calm down, Marco. I was just-"

"Calm down? Don't tell me to calm down, Star! I don't even know how to swim!" My voice was furious and booming. Star had become almost inaudible. Her voice was no more than a bunch of mumbles and mutters.

"Wha- yes, you do. We used to go to the beach all the ti-"

"No. I don't, Star!" I interjected. With that, my wings began to flap and lift me up. I flew back to the dock, leaving Star behind in complete bewilderment.

"Marco, wait. I didn't mean to…" I had been tugging the canoe onto the tide just as I watched him stomp away. By the time I had caught up with him, he was halfway through the garden. He didn't stop until I had raged on more. "Why do you even care so much? It was just a harmless joke?"

To this, he ceased in his tracks then turned around and trudged heavily up to me. He didn't stop until we were inches apart. Now that he was closer, I could see the tears in the corners of his eyes and his face was a blushy red. It startled me at first, but then he cupped my face with his hands and lifted my face so he could gaze upon me better.

He wanted to lean in and go further, but something had stopped him. "Marco?" I said softer.

I could feel his lips lingering, yet he never leaned in. He was stuck in place yet I wanted to let him make the next move. If I had to be the one to do it, I wouldn't know if he really would lean in first.

We stayed that way for many agonizing seconds which felt like an eternity. What was he doing?

Kiss me, you stupid idiot!

Kiss her, you stupid idiot!

I was too slow and I began to find worry in her eyes. I could see how she wanted to ask if I was okay. She always worried about me. I couldn't blame her though. I did the same with her.

She began playing with my wet hair, parting it out and away from my forehead, to the left. She liked it parted to the left, I soon noticed. I also couldn't help but notice her face reach a tint of red.

Her deep baby blue eyes locked with mine as if she was in some sort of trance. She liked my eyes. If I stayed like this forever, she could too. As long as she was able to watch my eyes forever, she would never be bored. I could tell this by the way she stared into them with a strong and hefty intent.

"Well," A man's voice broke out, startling my heart and bringing it to a jumpstart of an erratic beating. Star had gotten so frightened too, that she had immediately backed away. "Seems like we need a reminder of the rules here in the Above. Miss Butterfly…" I turned to look at Star, who was silent and bowed her head down so that she was making direct eye contact with her feet.

During his statement, he only made eye contact with me for a split second, then towards Star. He was the same man who I had met in the interrogation room.

"How did you know I was here?" She responded, though her voice was in some sort of uncomfortable, shameful murmur.

"Noah told me. He said he saw you two out here." Almost as if on cue, an angel with dirty blonde hair and beetroot eyes had appeared.

"Noah?" I repeated.

He looked at me for only a brief second though I was still able to make out his side stare, almost like a narrowed, disgusted yet sly glance.

Just his presence alone brought back that same gut feeling from before. It was undeniable this time, probably even worse and intense than before. It was so quick, I could have even missed it.

"Marco, this is Noah, an official of the Above's council." Star said matter of factly, though something about her statement unsettled me. It must have been the fact that "Noah" seemed a far bit too young to even be part of such a high calling. The only way he could've come to such a high ranking was if he had somehow slithered his way through the cracks.

At that same moment, the corners of my vision began to blur and I had to hold my head to steady the lightheadedness. Something inside me told myself that whoever Noah was, he was lying about who he truly was.

I knew now that I wasn't just imagining things. I knew my suspicions had been confirmed and the true nature of this angel was something far more sinister, more demonic. His familiar eyes laid upon me once more and I felt my stomach flip and flop. It sounded too unreal to even be true. It felt crazy to even think. Tom.

I needed to tell Star.

"Hmph." The older angel remarked, a slight chortle as he finally studied us closer. "And next time you do decide to go out, I suggest we stay away from the lake?"


	8. Demon's Sixth Sense

The way back to my awaiting prison was silent and neither of us had said anything. As Noah and the other elderly angel had taken the lead infront, Star and I followed closely behind.

As we were walking back, she reached for my hand by my side and before I knew it, our fingers were entangled in one another once again. Her hand was sneaky and I knew she knew that if Noah or the other angel had turned around, for even a split second, they would see. Still, she didn't let go. And neither did I.

My wings skipped a beat and felt the need to flap and flutter but I knew flying would be too inappropriate for the current situation.

We were brought back to my cell and dried off with the towels we were given. I had mine slung around my neck when I was sure my hair was as dry as I could get it to be.

The elderly angel had ushered me back to my cell and was about to lock the gate behind me before Star had protested. "Wait," she said. "I need to talk to Marco - in private."

Surprisingly, he nodded and allowed her to pass, even leaving us alone, just like she had requested. When she was sure we were left alone, she began. "Marco," A slight pause stretched as if she ceased to collect her thoughts.

And when she gazed up with those angel eyes - damn, those eyes. Her fixated, holy stare could bring even the most deepest and darkest demon down to his knees. She could make him confess to all of his sins at once.

There was no way I could tell her that everything was okay.

"Just tell me right now. I just need to know. Do you..." Her volume had dropped low to nothing more than a whisper at her last words, almost as if she didn't want to ask or question her doubt.

"Star, I-" I don't know why but I couldn't make the words come. What if I said it and couldn't take it back? What if I said it and it wasn't true?

Still, my head fell hopelessly until our foreheads were laid upon one another.

His lips lingered again and, again, they disappeared. He stepped back and shook his head, staring at the ground.

He was so close, yet too far in his thoughts to close the extra inch of space between us.

"I'm sorry. This is all wrong." And just like that, I had disappointed her again.

"What? What do you-"

"I-I don't know. I don't know how I should feel..." I stuttered more, searching for more useless words to say. "I mean, I really want to - but..." I covered my face in my hands and turned away, too ashamed to even face her. Star took this as a chance to speak.

"Marco, it's okay."

"No, it's not!" Through my hands, my words came out muffled. I could feel my throat forcing to swell and close up. I began choking on my own words and tears came out in a hiccup. "You're not supposed to be here. You're supposed to be... dead! But instead, you're here. Even after everything I put you through, you think you can keep coming back to me."

"Marco, stop. Wait." She tried to intrude again, though when I found everything to tumble out at once, I couldn't stop. I kept going. I took a seat down on my bed and Star followed. I was still hiding my face behind my hands.

"You're only hurting us both, Star. C'mon. I mean, you gotta know this... we... we can't be together. Maybe the angels are right..."

For a long time, it was quiet and still. Surprisingly, Star did not protest this time. She just sat and thought for a moment as if to consider what I had said. I thought she would get up in that moment, leaving me as if I was right. Like I was right about angels and demons and how different we really are. Like angels and demons are right and wrong, left and right, above and below, good and bad. We are different. Too different to ever be the same.

Yet, all this, she did not even protest against, like I thought she would. Instead, she pulled me closer, wrapping her arms around me.

Who was I kidding? I needed her. And she needed me.

I reached out and hugged her back. I held her so tight, I was practically squeezing her. Her voice came out a bit squeaky and breathless. "Uh, Marco? You're kinda crushing me."

"I know."

We stayed quietly holding each other for a few extra seconds before Star took my hand again to hold it in her's. Her hands were soft yet dry and delicate to the touch. Her head still laid on my shoulder as she stared down at our entwined fingers.

"All the angels are talking about you, y'know?" She said softly. Her tone of voice was nothing more than a mumble and she remained relaxed and comfortable. Her fingers began to play with my own, stroking them and attempting to become accustomed with their touch. At one moment, her fingers had met up to the tips of my blackened claws and, self-consciously, I wanted to hide them in my pant pocket.

I let out a heavy and lengthy exhale, probably a concerning sigh too because Star had noticed. "Marco?"

"Hm?" I responded half-heartedly.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah... I guess." I had concluded that what I had mumbled wasn't very convincing because she questioned me again. Though, I can't blame her. I didn't even believe I sounded that convincing either.

"Are you sure?"

"No." An audible, bittersweet chortle came out of my mouth.

"Whatever it is, I'm right here." She held my hand just a bit tighter and for some reason, I didn't think she had any ideas of freeing me from her grasp until I had told her everything.

I sighed again, yet it was brief, a pocket of air to have energy to talk further. "Star? Do you think I..." Halfway through my own sentence, I lowered my volume as if to become self-conscious and insecure about the next words. "...killed you?"

At that moment, she finally lifted her head from my shoulder to meet my eyes. Her face showed signs of a mix of emotions at once - bewilderment, confusion, pain.

I could tell she wasn't expecting the question and she bowed her head. "I... I don't know. I mean, I was mad at you at first." She kept her head down and stared at her hands in her lap. She started sniffling, softly crying. "I didn't understand how you could... But I just kept telling myself that it really wasn't you, that you would never..." She let out a few sobs, then continued. "Marco, I know you didn't mean to. Isn't that enough? To forgive someone?"

"Why would you forgive me? Star, your parents are on Mewni - without you! Your whole kingdom is wondering where you are. You had a life..."

 _Great. Now I was going to be the one crying._

She shook her head slightly. "We're both dead, y'know?"

"What? What do you mean?"

"Marco, you are never going to be the Marco you were before. I mean, we are never going to be the same people we were before. But... you still double-knot your shoes when you tie them like the old Marco, you still... hate coffee like the old Marco."

"How'd you know I hate coffee?"

"Grandma Comet told me."

Despite the seriousness of that moment, I couldn't help but chuckle.

I recalled one morning when Comet had brought breakfast for me to my cell, wafting down the smell of a warm, peppermint-scented coffee. I had told her that I wasn't really a fan of coffee, but for her sake, I drank it anyways. Strangely enough, however, she never did bring me another cup of coffee for breakfast. I no longer smelled that warm, peppermint scent.

"Tell me more... please." The words came out sounding too desperate.

"Well," She sniffled and wiped her nose with her naked wrist. "What do you want to know?"

"Everything. I just... I feel like I don't know who I am anymore. What was the old me like?"

A moment of silence. Then, she said, "Everything you did was planned. You had your whole life practically planned out. You never did anything without knowing a plan to it. You were a red belt in karate. You could play the piano. You made the best nachos. You wore ballet shoes around the house. You-"

"Wait, what? You're lying." I said, making Star laughed heavy-heartedly. I couldn't help but do the same.

"Nope. You said they were comfortable. Like slippers. But... you were also picky. You couldn't really buy something unless you really liked it, y'know?" I nodded at everything she was telling me. I was actually listening too. "You knew how to stand up for what was right too. You were... loyal. You were confident in who you were and didn't let anything get in your way. And that's how I..."

I hesitated.

 _And that's how I fell in love with you._

She let her body fall backwards onto the bed and began to stare upwards as if to study the dark, bare ceiling.

Her head turned towards me just then, as if she had just realized something that I hadn't. A smile had appeared on her face, grinning from ear to ear. It was a sort of devious yet playful smile. "Are you still... _ticklish?_ " She probed, lifting her hand up and making her fingers dance in a mocking and tickling way.

"What?" Right at that moment, she had brought her taunting hands closer, closing me in on my own impending doom. "No, Star! Wait! I'm very ticklish!"

Instinctively, to escape her teasing hands, I flew off the bed and into the air. She got up and followed me. She followed me into the air, letting her wings guide her upwards with a graceful boost from her feet.

"You can fly?" I exclaimed. I had never seen her actually use her wings before. "Wait, that's not fair!"

She let out a harp-tuned laugh. "I may not be the best flyer, but you can't escape from me, Diaz!"

I raised my eyebrow in confusion and smiled. "What did you just call me?" It was a genuine question, yet Star must have taken it as a sign that I was egging her on to come after me.

She aimed for under my arms and before I could object, I fell down in a fit of laughter. She tackled me with tickles, pinning me to the ground. Through my thinning lungs and heavy laughter, I tried to protest. "Star! Stop!"

"I reign supreme!" She shouted in joy. "I know all your weaknesses, Marco!"

Soon, we were both laughing uncontrollably. "Okay, okay!" I finally said. "I surrender! You win!"

She fell over and we laid on the ground for a moment, catching our breaths and letting out extra, leftover laughs. When the silence prevailed between us, Star spoke again. "It's almost like... you never left."

I sat up just then and had realized how cold my feet were. They were still wet from the lake. I let out a disgusted groan and Star looked up. "What?"

"My socks. They're all wet... and cold... and very-"

Right then, she dove at me, practically almost knocking me over so that I had to support myself with my arm.

Her lips on my own made my own stomach flip and flop and turn and twist. I couldn't describe the way it felt, yet if I had to describe it, I would say it made me feel a sort of joy and giggliness rise from my gut and into my throat. Her lips were still a bit moist from the lake and she had kissed me with such a strong passion, I had been momentarily stunned and paralyzed. My heart had this spontaneous sensation of fluttering and soaring so high, my lips savored every second of the touch of her tender lips on mine.

It was a strange, newfound feeling that I never knew, nor did I know how to describe it. Not only that, it was a pounding and thrashing and thundering feeling, a feeling that seemed to corrupt my whole mind and body with a deep and heavy grasp.

Was this what love felt like?

I didn't know how much he had remained himself yet not know it. It was like he hadn't changed at all. Marco was Marco. He always was and will be. It was the reason why I had fallen for him. The way he was so unaware of this, made me want to cry and wail out loud.

Maybe I was wrong, I began to wonder. Maybe I was wrong about Marco. He was still very much alive. He was still Marco afterall. But as for me... I was still dead. And that was never going to change, no matter how deeply I wished it would. For me, I was just stuck. I was stuck in this strange afterlife where everyone else is stuck too. There is nothing after the afterlife. The afterlife is the eternity for the dead. And I was stuck for dead, immortal.

Yet, for a second, and only a second, I thought I felt his lips kiss me back. But, before I could know for sure, he pulled back and a strong disturbance had made him yelp out. His teeth clenched together and eyes shut tight in a sudden and overwhelming pain. After a few seconds, he fell to the floor and laid there, trying to make sense of what had just happened while holding his aching head.

When I turned around to find his attacker, I found Noah and the angel elder had come back. It was then that I noticed, with the elder's hands raised up in Marco's direction that I had discovered he was the one to electrocute Marco. His thin and wrinkly fingers still illuminated with magical, blue volts of light as he dropped his hands down by his sides.

"Stop it! He didn't do anything!" I exclaimed.

"I only stunned him." The elder explained. "He'll be fine. As for you, Princess, you shouldn't give into his temptations. He made you do it. It's what he wants. Don't give him the advantage."

"You're wrong you know?"

A thin and expressionless laugh huffed from his throat. "Wrong about what? A demon?"

"Hey, wait. I-" Before I was given the chance to go on, he stole it.

"We cannot trust what we do not know, Princess. You have to understand that there are great evils in this world that, sometimes, are evil by nature and there is nothing we can do about it."

I felt my fists clench together so tight that I could begin to feel my nails digging into the skin of my palms. "Marco isn't evil." I mumbled.

"How can you be so sure?" He seemed to provoke me. I opened my mouth to answer, but before I could, Noah replied.

"He is a demon. We don't know exactly if-" Immediately, a voice from behind interjected loudly and aggressively.

I had risen to my feet quickly and at the sound of his voice, I wanted to tear at his face, scratch out his smiling, smug eyes. I wanted to tug and tear at every limb until he begged for mercy. I wanted to make him sorry for ever coming back. Every demon instinct in my body told me to punish him.

"No!" I wailed and lunged towards him, grabbing him through the prison bars and jerking him by the collar of his white undershirt. "You're a liar! You're the demon! You think you can fool me but you can't, Noah! Or should I say... Tom?"

He looked completely savage, like an animal finally being able to reach and grab their captore from through their imprisoned bars. His fanged teeth bared and his face was clenched with despicable rage, the face of a true demon. His wings were perked up behind him, stretched out as if to threaten his prey, like a peacock.

As for Noah, his mouth hung open in an unexplainable sort of awe mixed with shock.

"Marco," The angel elder warned. He leaned forward as if to say what he was about to say was importantly emphasized. "Anything you do from this point on can and will be used against you in the court of law so I suggest you choose your next actions with caution."

As I gazed back upon Marco, I found his eyes had shifted. His pupils had shrunk back to their normal size as his grip on Noah had loosened. It was almost like something inside of him had flicked a lever and had turned back on his sense of morality. Then, shame had appeared on his face as he had completely detached his hands and gave Noah one last final jerk backwards as if to jolt him passive aggressively before backing away himself.

Just as Marco did so, Noah fixed himself up, readjusting his black tie and straightening out his button up shirt. After that, he combed through his hair with his hand to repair the shaken strands of hair that had parted away from his head and fallen to his forehead.

Both Marco and Noah stared at eachother with matching fixated and hardened glares.

Then, the elder addressed Marco from the other side of the prison's bars. "If you pull another stunt like that, consider yourself forever damned to the Underworld. You hear me?"

Marco was still huffing heavily, in and out, as if his fight took out the air in him. He hadn't looked up at the elder to acknowledge him. He kept a stare on Noah. This agitated the elder angel almost instantly.

"Hey!" It was a stern and hard word, coming out as if it were a word that was punched, yet it had done the job. Marco looked up at the elder now. "At least act like a demon who wants a trial, kid! Got it?"

Marco nodded softly, bowing his head now.

"Good."

Maybe I was losing it. Or maybe I was just really exhausted. I couldn't really tell. All I knew was I had had enough for one night and was going to get some sleep.

Before she left, Star looked at me for a heavy moment. I was going to try to explain myself to her right then, but unfortunately, I couldn't find the words. Probably because there was nothing really to say. My mouth hung unhinged for a bit yet all that came out was a fatigued and breathy sigh. And with that, Star gave me a weak, half smile and followed Noah and the angel official up the stairs and to her own room.

The angel official had called on guards that night to my prison to keep me attended to, yet I would be too exhausted and unmotivated to try anything. Instead, I laid down in my bed and tried to make pictures and imaginative stories out of the distorted, old cracks in the ceiling from above me.


End file.
